Pope Leo’s Choice of the Special Year of St. Francis
At times in the life of the Catholic Church, the Holy Father invites the faithful to focus intentionally on a particular saint or spiritual path. Pope Leo has decided to designate this year as a Special Year of St. Francis.
By lifting up St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Leo is asking the Church to return to the essentials of Christian life: love of God, care for the poor, humility, peace, and joyful service.
Pope Leo chose St. Francis because his life speaks powerfully to the needs of the Church and the world today. St. Francis responded to a broken and divided world not with power or prestige, but with radical trust in God and deep compassion for others.
He lived simply, welcomed the marginalized, and recognized Christ in every person, especially the poor and vulnerable.
In choosing Francis, Pope Leo is inviting the Church to rediscover a faith that is lived through action, mercy, and love.
The Franciscan vision, seeing each person as a beloved child of God, aligns naturally with the mission of Caritas for Children. Even the word "caritas" reflects the same self-giving love that defined St. Francis’s life: love that protects, nurtures, and seeks the good of others without expecting anything in return..png "Jesus walking out of the cave")
As the Church lives out this Special Year of St. Francis, Pope Leo’s hope is that Catholics will not only learn about Francis, but imitate him, and in doing so, imitate Jesus too.
For Caritas for Children, this means recommitting to compassionate care, simple generosity, and joyful service, and as always, meeting children where they are and loving them as Christ does. Guided by Pope Leo’s vision and inspired by St. Francis, this year becomes an invitation to serve with renewed faith, courage, and hope.
If you have not done so already, please consider sponsoring a poor child or even take it a step further and sponsor a poor Franciscan seminarian. This is a tangible way that we can follow in the footsteps of St. Francis throughout this special year.